Battle of the benches goes Lakers' way

There was an undeniable feeling that the Hornets' reserves played way of their heads in New Orleans' Game 1 victory.

Sure enough, they fell to pieces in the losses in Games 2 and 3, shooting 9 for 34 (26.5 percent) from the field. In the games, the Lakers' bench -- which has struggled a lot since the All-Star break -- outscored the Hornets' bench, 47-22.

That's 11 points per game for a New Orleans bench that Coach Monty Williams wants to score 18-to-23 points per game. He said there were "point-blank looks" in Game 3 that the Hornets failed to hit.

"That's been a telling sign," he said.

Two of the Lakers' key reserves, Steve Blake (chickenpox) and Matt Barnes (knee), are enjoying improved health and performance. After Lamar Odom accepted his NBA Sixth Man of the Year trophy, the Lakers' bench fizzled in the playoff opener while New Orleans' reserves shot 16 for 22 from the field (72.7 percent) -- just the third time a playoff team's reserves have combined to shoot that well in the past 20 years.

Blake missed that first game because of his illness, but the Lakers' primary free-agent acquisition had five assists in Game 2 and then hit his only shot (a 3-pointer) in Game 3. His defense helped slow Chris Paul in both games.

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